Prosource Premium 1/2-Inch Extra Thick 71-Inch Long High Density Exercise Yoga Mat with Comfort Foam and Carrying Straps

This mat is very squishy and might be really nice for someone to keep under their bed and occasionally do crunches on, or an older person doing gentle, seated hatha / restorative yoga. Probably would be nice for Pilates.BUT... This was the first search result I got for "yoga mat," which is also in the product name, so I'm going to rate it as just that:- lightweight, convenient carrying strap- it stretches a LOT, so horrible for down dog, warriors, triangle, etc- very squeaky with every movement, my instructor even commented he "heard" my new mat- slightly less sticky than a regular yoga mat - if you sweat at all, you'll slip and slide- not durable at all - after one use it had dents and bruises and scuffs all over and looked like my previous mat I had for 5 years- I thought the thickness would protect my knees but didn't think it would be SO squishy. Great for svasana but terrible for balance on ALL standing poses and darn near impossible to do balance poses on (I'm going to try and use this to my advantage and see if I can improve my balance, but right now I'm falling over in class and I've been practicing 10 years)I'm going to keep trying to adjust to this mat, and if not, repurpose it (camping pad, or maybe support under a sticky mat). All and all, low quality, cushiony mat suitable for beginners and elderly, but certainly not a yogi trying to grow in their practice.

Over the years I have used a number of different pads for all sort of workout related activities and I have to admit, this one is the best. It's thick enough to really protect your body from impacts and rolling maneuvers. I use it almost daily with my P90x routine and it's really appreciated when it comes time for Ab Ripper.Now that my husband has seen and tried my mat, I will order him one as well. Very comfortable indeed.It should be said that this pad is a bit heavy but that is a major plus. When you unroll it that weight allows the mat to lay completely flat on the ground. I can't stand when my other mats would roll up on the ends. Drives me nuts. This one doesn't have that issue.If you need some cushion and support for your knees this is truly the mat to buy. I wouldn't go back to anything else.-Additional Note: One review that I saw said the mat was slick. That is not the case with mine. I would actually say it's the opposite of slick.-Additional Note: The mat so far seems of a good quality. I have no rips thus far and with P90x....that's impressive.-Additional Note: There is a vaguely noticeable smell of rubber when you first use it. That odor has gone away over time.-Additional Note: The carry strap works. Nothing overly special about it.

Yoga notes:1)Comfort - Amazing. I have hardwood floors now at home, and my other yoga mat left me feeling VERY sore on my bones. This new mat is much more comfortable. It's hard to describe the feeling, but you feel like you could drop to your knees and be totally fine.2) Too Thick? Some say that the mat is too thick so that it's hard to balance on it. I do think it is harder to balance on the mat. Not by much though. I just think it adds a bit of exercise to it. A touch more "core" work to stay balanced.3) The smell. No getting around that. For me, the smell is atrocious. It smells like chemicals moved in downstairs and they're cooking for family every night. The smell has gotten better in the past week that I've had it. However, it's still too strong for me to even consider doing anything where my nose would be near the material.Overall -- Definitely worth it if you have a "hard" time with other yoga mats. Just have to do whatever is recommended to get rid of the smell. Airing it out works, just slowly. And I can't verify yet that it work s completely. I'll try washing as others seem to have suggested.

I recently started a workout schedule of Pilates DVDs at home. I quickly noticed that I was limited due to pain I would feel in my post-op knee when I was doing mat work on all fours or just on knees. I took to amazon to find a super thick padded mat, and purchased this item. It arrived quickly and I was excited to use it! I have been using this now for a week and really enjoy it. This is just what I needed to make my post-op knee more comfortable (lots of scar tissue). I am now able to keep going through workouts without skipping any parts due to knee discomfort. A few criticisms: 1) the mat smells not so good. I had to use febreeze spray on this to try to neutralize the weird smell. I don't know if this is common to these types of mats. 2) don't let your pets near it. Because this is a nice pliable foam type mat, don't let you clawed furry friends around it. I had this for no longer than a few minutes before my lab was sniffing it and put his paws on it, creating small claw tears. Certainly not the mat's fault in this case, just a word of caution! I otherwise love the mat and feel like it has made my workouts much better and more effective.

I chose this mat because I recently started a ZUMBA class and each class is going to be followed by an ab work-out on the hard wood flooring, so we were told a mat would be a good investment. The teacher said that she would go no less than 1/2 inch for adequate cusion, so I searched all over the internet for the cheapest mat that was 1/2" thick. This was it! At the time the site said that it would take 1 to 2 months (even though I needed it within a week), but I couldn't beat the value, so I took the risk and it came within a week! It smells kind of funny because of the materials that it is made of, but I'm sure like all new things, that it will air out eventually. I opened it up and am soooo pleased with how much squish it has to it. I am sure that it will keep my bones from digging into the floor at my next class! I also love that it came with a strap since I will obviously be carrying it back and forth to sessions.